Code Signing Key Management Server (CSKMS) vs Cosign
Code Signing Key Management Server (CSKMS)
certicom.comCosign
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Code Signing Key Management Server (CSKMS) | Cosign |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Code Signing Software | 7.4 (#19) | 8.5 (#3) |
| Intended users | Certicom describes the server as a solution for manufacturers protecting device software and firmware, including critical-infrastructure, industrial-control, aerospace, military, telecommunications, transportation, and connected-car applications. | The Sigstore integration guidance identifies open-source package managers as primary stakeholders for artifact signing and verification workflows. |
| Purpose | CSKMS manages access to code-signing and encryption keys, signs software images, and can optionally encrypt them for target projects. | Cosign signs and verifies OCI containers and other software artifacts. |
| Support | Certicom lists Standard and Premium support options; Premium support includes 7×24 hours and a stated response time of one business hour to one business day on its support-offerings page. | The project directs users with issues to open a GitHub issue or ask in its Slack channel. |
Plans
Code Signing Key Management Server (CSKMS)
No plans published.
In their own words
Code Signing Key Management Server (CSKMS)
Code Signing Key Management Server (CSKMS) has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Cosign
Cosign is a free tool for signing and verifying OCI container images and other software artifacts. It can store container signatures in an OCI registry and publish generic artifacts through OCI. Supported targets include blobs, binaries, scripts, configuration files, SBOMs, WASM modules, Tekton bundles, eBPF modules, and in-toto attestations whose payloads use DSSE. Its default keyless workflow uses temporary keys held in memory, short-lived certificates from Sigstore’s Fulcio certificate authority, and entries in the Rekor transparency log. Other signing options include hardware and KMS-backed keys, encrypted keypairs generated by Cosign, and user-provided PKI. Cosign supports CI/CD signing, with guidance for GitHub Actions and GitLab CI/CD. Offline verification is possible when the image and signature materials are available locally and a trusted root is supplied. The project describes Cosign as a legacy signing system and recommends Sigstore-go for verification integrations. Its CLI-focused design has no API stability guarantees, and the documentation does not recommend it for application integration.